If you're new to vaping, you'll have to choose an electronic cigarette and an e-liquid in order to vape. Who better than A&L to help you start the right way? Founded in 2012, our team of DIY and e-liquid specialists have written this handy guide for you, so you can choose the appropriate e-liquid for your electronic cigarette!
First of all, e-liquids are a key consumable of any electronic cigarette. Indeed, your vaping device heats the e-liquid inside its atomiser, by powering a coil of resistive wire, thus vapourising said e-liquid. The resulting vapour is what you inhale, by placing your lips around the atomiser's mouthpiece, known as a drip tip. As you can see, there is no combustion with e-cigarettes. Gone are the toxic and carcinogenic substances found in tobacco smoke.
An electronic cigarette e-liquid is generally made up of 3 compounds:
- a base mixture of propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin
- food-grade flavourings
- nicotine, if you wish to include some
E-liquids are mostly packaged in 10mL bottles, but can also be available in 30, 60 or even 120mL volumes.
What does an e-liquid for electronic cigarette contain?
Here's a more detailed breakdown of what goes into an e-cigarette liquid:
- The primary compound is the base liquid, which makes up about 80% of any e-liquid mixture. This base is a mixture of vegetable glycerin (VG) and propylene glycol (PG). This mixture can be vapourised at low temperatures. Moreover, it's widely used in the food industry and can be found in toothpaste or bread loaves, for example. It's a very common product. Therefore, it's great for vaping! It's always expressed as a ratio, such as 50PG / 50VG, 30/70 or 20/80, and some e-liquids even have a 100% VG ratio.
- Food-grade flavourings, which usually make up between 2 and 20% of the total mix. As you can imagine, they're the ones that give the e-liquid all its taste.
- Nicotine, in liquid form, making up 0 to 2% of the e-liquid mix. You can vape e-liquids without any nicotine in them whatsoever, if you wish.
- In a few rare cases, e-liquids may contain demineralised water in order to thin the recipe. Another substance you can find is ethyl alcohol, which is also a thinner, as well as a flavour and hit enhancer.
How to choose your e-liquid's PG/VG ratio
Regarding your e-liquid's base and its PG/VG ratio, you should know that each ingredient's properties influences the vapour you get in the end.
- Propylene glycol, or PG for short, brings out the flavours and increases the throat hit, which is the muscle contraction you get when inhaling tobacco smoke. Therefore, it's an important factor for any beginner who wants to maintain his smoking gestures.
- Vegetable glycerin, or VG, is the compound that allows so much vapour to be produced. It also has a slightly sweet taste, and is much thicker than PG.
The goal is to adjust the balance between these two substances to find the right PG/VG ratio for your needs. If you're a beginner, we recommend you opt for more PG in your mix so you can achieve a nice hit and precise flavours. Conversely, if you want to produce a lot of vapour, especially if you're an experienced vaper, you should increase the amount of VG in your e-liquid.
In the end, it's up to you to find the right balance for yourself. In most cases, we recommend a 50PG / 50VG e-liquid, a good compromise between flavour rendition, vapour, and hit. Some vapers prefer a thicker vapour and opt for a 30/70 or 20/80 ratio. Others want to produce huge clouds of vapour, even if it means reducing the hit and the flavours, by using a 100% VG base, without any propylene glycol.
Know also that the vast majority of clearomisers and rebuildable atomisers work well with 50/50 e-liquids. The coils, however, can clog up more quickly when using liquids with a high vegetable glycerin content. Make sure your equipment is compatible before you use such e-liquids.
Now that you know all this, you can browse our website and find the e-liquid you prefer among our large choice. Many brands and PG/VG ratios are available to you, so you can find the ideal juice for your e-cigarette.
How to choose your e-liquid's nicotine level
Choosing the right nicotine content is a decisive step in the success of your smoking withdrawal. It's important that you take the time to find the right balance, otherwise you might be tempted to give up and go back to tobacco.
Let's begin with a key fact you may already know. Nicotine isn't dangerous for your health in and of itself, it's simply responsible for the feeling of addiction. Despite what many news outlets proclaim, nicotine isn't the substance behind tobacco's health problems. The real enemy is the cigarette's combustion, in particular the smoke that results from it. The latter is full of harmful toxins such as carbon monoxide and tars. Thus, the actual threat is tobacco cigarettes and not nicotine, which is why electronic cigarettes are so successful among former smokers who wish to quit smoking for good.
Moreover, it's important to understand the full complexity of nicotine addiction. Someone who smokes 5 cigarettes per day and another who gets through a whole pack can sometimes be as addicted as each other, even if it may seem illogical. Indeed, nicotine dependency can be both physical and psychological, caused by either a biological craving or a state of stress.
Therefore, it's impossible to give a precise nicotine level for each vaper. You'll just have to be patient and take the time to find the ideal dosage for you.
However, we can give you an estimate based on an average tobacco consumption, as follows:
- Fewer than 10 cigarettes per day, the dependency is rather low, and the recommended nicotine level is between 3 and 6 mg/mL.
- Between 10 and 19 cigarettes per day, the dependency is average, and we recommend a nicotine dosage between 6 and 12 mg/mL.
- More than 20 cigarettes per day, the dependency is strong, and we recommend a dosage between 12 and 18 mg/mL.
Of course, these are general guidelines to help you out. You'll probably adjust these dosages depending on your preferences. Nobody is equal in the face of addiction, so don't be surprised if you change this dosage a few times before finding the right one. If you feel a strong craving you can't get rid of during your smoking withdrawal, try increasing your nicotine content. With time, you'll find the perfect balance and be able to quit smoking for good.
Choosing a flavour for your electronic cigarette
Choosing a flavour for your e-liquid may seem trivial, but when you begin vaping it's incredibly important. Vaping an e-liquid that you enjoy maximises your chances of success, both in embracing electronic cigarettes as a withdrawal tool, and quitting smoking.
Of course, it's all a matter of taste in the end. We can't choose your e-liquid's flavour for you, but we can give you a few tips and advise you to try out and vary your flavours regularly.
Most of the time, new vapers choose a tobacco-flavoured e-liquid. This can be a good or a bad idea, depending on the person. Indeed, there are many incredible tobacco juices out there, but they never taste like your old cigarette. When smoking, the only taste you actually get is that burnt charcoal flavour, caused by the cigarette's combustion.
That's why many vapers rapidly switch from tobacco e-liquids to other types of flavours. In general, e-liquid flavours can be sorted into 4 or 5 major categories:
- Tobacco-flavoured e-liquids, also known as 'classics', which obviously replicate the taste of all sorts of tobacco blends.
- Fruity e-liquids, which can taste of strawberry, berries, kiwi, mango, melon, watermelon or a mixture of several fruits.
- Dessert or pastry e-liquids, inspired by various pastries, cakes, chocolate, caramel and even vanilla custard cream!
- Menthol e-liquids, with various mint varieties that bring you a fresh feeling throughout the day!
- Candy e-liquids, with many childhood treats such as chewing gum or sour apple sweets.
All you have to do is choose, but do not hesitate to experiment and change your flavours throughout the day, in order to refine your preferences. As is the case for the nicotine content, you'll have to be patient before finding THE e-liquid that'll never leave your side!
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